Eagle Valley Speedway Hosts
the Lonnie Leu Memorial

By Gene Harmelink

                On Sunday, August 30, Eagle Valley Speedway hosted the eighth annual Lonnie Leu Memorial Races treating a capacity crowd to another great night of racing.

                Paul Niznik and Kevin Adams led the field to the green for the start of the WISSOTA Modified feature.  It was heat winner, Kevin Adams, who would be the first to the flag stand at the end of lap one and every lap thereafter.  This left the second spot open for contention with heat winner, Keith Tourville, and Mike Anderson in a two-car duel which Anderson eventually won with five laps to go.  A caution, on the white flag lap, when Niznik spun in turn one, meant an early end to the race with Adams being declared the winner, completing a sweep, picking up his second Lonnie Leu Memorial win,  and getting his 22nd feature win of the year.  Rounding out the top five were:  Anderson from seventh, Tourville from fourth, Luke Schilling from ninth, and Brandon Kallenbach from third.

                Terry Kroening and Mike Frolik were on the front row for the start of the WISSOTA Super Stock feature.  An early caution, after the completion of lap one, claimed a number of contenders, eventually narrowing the field to just ten of the original eighteen starters.  First time track visitor, Mike Frolik, would prove to be the cream of the crop as he led every lap of the feature with heat winner, Eric Olson, doing his best to unseat him.  On several occasions, Olson got to within a half car length of Frolik, but just couldn’t complete the pass.   Frolik picked up the win with Olson in second after coming from fourth.  Rounding out the top five were:  Ryan Olson from fifth, Kroening, and Steve Thomas from tenth.

                Shane Halopka and Curt Myers lined up side-by-side for the start of the WISSOTA Midwest Modified feature.  At the drop of the green, Myers shot to the lead, leading the first ten laps of the feature with Halopka hot on his heels.  As lap eleven ended, Halopka had made the pass for the lead, but Myers would have none of that and reclaimed the lead by the end of lap twelve.  With three laps to go, Halopka once again made a pass for the lead and held on to finish in front.  Rounding out the top five were:  Myers, Matt Leer from seventh, heat winner, Mike Anderson, from fifth, and heat winner, Jason Zdroik, from eighth.

                Thirteen, of the original fifteen WISSOTA Street Stocks, answered the call for the start of their feature with Simon Wahlstrom and Jay Kesan taking the green first.  Heat winner, Ron Hanestad, going for his fifth Lonnie Leu Memorial win, grabbed the lead by the end of lap one, but the winner of the other heat, Cory Crapser, had other ideas as he moved around Hanestad for the lead as lap two ended.  From that point on, Crapser, the National points leader, had his way with the rest of the field going on for his thirty-fifth feature win of the season.   Rounding out the top five were:  Hanestad, Wahlstrom, Kesan, and first time Street Stock driver, Doug Wojcik, from sixth.

                The Eagle Valley Pure Stocks lined up for their feature with Kyle Hunter and Jamey Fisher on the front row.  Fisher was the early leader, leading the first five laps of the feature.  Zach Manley worked his way up from sixth to take the lead at the end of lap six.  Manley’s lead was short-lived as heat winner, George Richards, shot around him taking the lead by the end of lap seven and then taking the eventual win.  Rounding out the top five were:   Manley, Tyler Wahlstrom from eighth, Fisher, and Pat Smith from seventh.

                Previous Lonnie Leu Hornet winner, Mark Ryskoski, and Shawn Warner lined up ahead of the rest of the little buzzers for the start of the Eagle Valley Hornet feature.  Ryskoski, last week’s feature winner, shot to an early and commanding lead, leaving everyone else in his wake to take the win.  Rounding out the top five were:  Robert Carpenter from third, Dustin LaBlonde from eleventh, Cori Block from fourth, and John Haase from tenth.

                The Lonnie Leu Memorial concluded a very successful 2009 racing season at Eagle Valley Speedway.  The Weigels wish to thank all the drivers and fans for their support and pledge that 2010 will bring bigger and better things to Eagle Valley Speedway, including the application of new clay to the track.

SUMMARY

Eagle Valley Speedway

Jim Falls, WI

August 30, 2009

WISSOTA Modifieds:  Kevin Adams, Mike Anderson, Keith Tourville, Luke Schilling, Brandon Kallenbach, Patrick Hoffmann, David Baxter, Steve Hallquist, Dave Cain, Dustin Nelson, Bruce Tourville, Mark Hanson, Bryan Nayes, John Hazelton, Ryan Olson, Bryce Johnson, Kevin Rogers, Paul Niznik

Heat 1:  Tourville, Schilling, Hazelton, Hoffmann, Olson, Nelson, Rogers, Robby Bunkelman

Heat 2:  Adams, Niznik, B. Tourville, Hallquist, Craig Thatcher, Cory Crapser, Jay Richardson

Heat 3:  Kallenbach, Cain, Anderson, Baxter, Hanson, Johnson, Nayes

WISSOTA Super Stocks

20 Lap Feature:  Mike Frolik, Eric Olson, Ryan Olson, Terry Kroening, Steve Thomas, Rick Hallquist, Lance Schilling, Aaron Wilson, Gary Wiersgalla, Andy Grymala, (DNF’s from this point on)  Mark Stender, Lance Leu, Wayne Harris, John Feirn, Tommy Richards, Shawn Huse, Paul Erikson, Shane Kisling

Heat 1:  Erikson, Kroening, Hallquist, Thomas, Richards, Wilson

Heat 2:  E. Olson, Kisling, R. Olson, Schilling, Feirn, Leu

Heat 3:  Harris, Frolik, Wiersgalla, Grymala, Stender, Huse, Jason Quarders (DNF)

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds

15 Lap Feature:  Shane Halopka, Curt Myers, Matt Leer, Mike Anderson, Jason Zdroik, Jared Loos, Brad Hudson, Jesse Glenz, Michael Truscott, Mark Thomas, Travis Hallquist, Matt Steffen, Mike Knudtson, Clark Swartz, Jake Smith, Bob Wood, Jason Swan, Nathan Thums (DNF’s from this point on) Grant Southworth, Nick Koehler, John Moravec, Mark Gerth, Gary Sorenson

Heat 1:  Leer, Myers, Halopka, Hallquist, Thomas, Knudtson, Smith, Thums

Heat 2:  Zdroik, Gerth, Hudson, Southworth, Steffen, Swan, Moravec, Swartz

Heat 3:  Anderson, Loos, Koehler, Glenz, Truscott, Wood, Sorenson

WISSOTA Street Stocks

15 Lap Feature:  Cory Craspser, Ron Hanestad, Simon Wahlstrom, Jay Kesan, Dog Wojcik, Ryan Linder, Travis Hazelton, Sam Fankhauser, Butch Kummer, Jason Lang, Rich Theisen, (DNF’s this point on) Josh Wahlstrom, Gary Kasperek

Heat 1:  Hanestad, Fankhauser, Kesan, Linder, J. Wahlstrom, (DNF’s this point on) Lang, Bill Engler, Jr., Jordan Kurtti

Heat 2:  Crapser, Wojcik, Kasperek, S. Wahlstrom, Hazelton, Theisen, Kummer (DNF)

Eagle Valley Pure Stocks

12 Lap Feature:  George Richards, Zach Manely, Tyler Wahlstrom Jamey Fisher, Pat Smith, Mike Harshman, Rick Weir, Chris Spath, Jeremy Robinson, Bob Wahlstrom, Duke Leu, George Taylor, (DNF’s this point on) Dusty Brown, Dalton Hazelton, Kyle Bitney, Kyle Hunter, Mitchell Johnson, Tony Falkner, Nick Wojcik, Austin Schultz

Heat 1:  Richards, Fisher, Wojcik, Harshman, Spath, Robinson, Taylor

Heat 2:  Manley, Schultz, Hunter, Falkner, Johnson, Bitney, Jay Folz (DNF)

Heat 3:  Brown, T. Wahlstrom, Smith, Weir, Leu, Hazelton, B. Wahlstrom

Eagle Valley Hornets

12 Lap Feature:  Mark Ryskoski, Robert Carpenter, Dustin LaBlonde, Cori Block, John Haase, Mike Peters, Shawn Warner, Brandon Davis, Paul Monpas, Bo Verbick, Mackenzie Olson (DNF)

Heat 1:  Peters, Warner, Verbick, Monpas, Davis, LaBlonde

Heat 2:  Ryskoski, Carpenter, Block, Olson, Haase